Tag: Ontario

Ah, the Bala Cranberry Festival. It feels like this is now an annual last trip to the cottage to enjoy fall fun, in typically horrid weather!

After a super rainy morning, we were so lucky that the temperature was mild and the rain held off all of Saturday. We had a great walk around town, enjoying the farm animals, candied cranberries (the best thing on the planet by the way) and even a little time sitting in a fire truck.

B has been such a trooper the past few weekends as we have hit up fairs and festivals, it sure has made night times easier when that little man has a full day of fun and fresh air.

I am a lover of summer weather, but as we sat through a heat wave the last few weeks of September, I was very ready for actual fall weather to arrive. The sun is still out and we have been enjoying these first few days of October. Cue the pumpkins, mums and gorgeous fall colours.

On Thanksgiving weekend we went full-blown fall family fun mode. We started the weekend off with a drive down to Rockton, Ontario for the Rockton Worlds Fair. We had so much fun, B loved the rides and the midway, it was too bad he was just shy of the height requirements for many of the rides, but he LOVE the ones that he was able to go on, especially the ship swing. His excited smile was priceless and he spent the entire time waving at us from the ride.

The next day we had a low-key morning at home with a very sleepy toddler, who decided to nap before lunch on the couch. So we took advantage of a full afternoon, by heading over to Strom’s Farm in Guelph to check out the activities and pick out a few pumpkins!

Overall such a great weekend and a great start to fall. I hope you and your families are enjoying October as well!

I am obsessed, I probably eat these with a side of smoked tofu and BBQ sauce… at least 3 times a week, I just can’t get enough. I have these down to a science that even the julienning of veggies seems to be faster now. These are packed with veggies, are low carb and they are super filling. Not to mention they are so pretty!

Enjoy!

Rainbow Fresh Rolls & Spicy Peanut Sauce

Rolls:

1/4 Small Red Cabbage Grated/Shredded

2-3 Mini Cucumbers Julienned

2-3 Carrots Peeled and Julienned

1 Avocado Sliced

8 Mint Leaves

4-6 Rice Paper Wraps

Soak rice paper in warm water, dry on a clean towel. In the middle of the paper stack the cucumber and carrots, top with cabbage, avocado and mint. Roll tightly and cut in half to enjoy.

Becoming a mother was a game changer. What I thought I knew as my life path pretty much imploded on me. I went from working full-time in a high stress event planning job, to being home day in and day out with a tiny human. What I did not expect, was how this tiny person could change my perspective and my goals so drastically.

First off, pre-baby I would not have described my career as high stress. Sure events are stressful and high pressure, but day-to-day I wouldn’t say the event planning life is always high stress. However, stepping back from that role I realized just how much stress I had been under. I may have gained weight during my pregnancy, but I lost about 10 pounds of stress off of my shoulders when I stepped back from corporate life.

As my life became all about me and this baby, despite the needs of an infant, I felt for the first time in my life I could actually focus on myself. Before B, my life was a mixture of school and finding the next steady job. Maternity leave was truly the most “time off” (from work/school) I had since high school! As lovely as this was to be at home totally focused on baby, I knew I needed the best of both worlds. Time I could dedicate at home with B and time that could focus on growing my business.

Life as a mompreneur is no walk in the park. I am not a lady who lunches and sits in a coffee shop reading books with a cup of tea all afternoon. I am in a constant hustle. Even if that means working, writing, or working out during B’s afternoon nap or into the late hours of the evening. Building your brand from scratch in a new town is no cake walk. To get by I do a mix of building my personal training business (IMPROVE Fitness), working part-time for my husband’s business (BluPrint Design + Build) and writing up a storm for my lovely day dreamers here!

My stresses are different. I don’t think there is such a life where no stress exists. It’s how you handle it and how you balance it. I have the luxury of being at home with B, making my own schedule and being my own boss. But I work for it. Long, weird hours, sometimes with low return.

In recent months you might have noticed I have not been focused on this blog. I currently have a few projects on the go that have been taking my attention away. I have been helping out my husband with his online presence for his company BluPrint Design + Build, which does custom homes, cottages and multi-residential buildings throughout Ontario. I have also started my own Personal Training business based in Guelph, Ontario. IMPROVE Fitness is still in the early stages, but I am very excited about things to come. We are offering mobile and in home one-on-one sessions as well as small group fitness. If you live in the area or surrounding areas check us out!

This does mean however, that between these two projects and my continued job search I have not had much time to dedicated to morning day dreams. So I wanted to post to let all of my readers know that I will be taking a hiatus from posting. I hope to check in from time to time, but I will be focusing on my other projects. Feel free to check out the websites linked above. I do all of the web and social media content for both companies on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter if you want to follow my work there.

Let the festivities begin! We are getting into the Christmas spirit over here, I even convinced D to string some lights up outside! New this year, we have decided to start the elf on the shelf tradition. So far we have been having fun getting Ludwig (as we lovingly call him) into trouble each night. I will do a post about his antics closer to Christmas.

For now, throw on some Christmas tunes, get your ALMOND Baileys and coffee ready and enjoy the Christmas spirit!

Happy 2nd wedding anniversary to my love. I can’t believe these two years have blown by, not to mention our family has grown by one. Two years ago today I married the love of my life and each day since our love has grown. I am so excited to see what this year brings as we start a new adventure in our new home. D I love you with all of my heart.

I can’t remember a summer like this ever! It has be +25 since the end of May and with the exception of a hand full of days it has been hot and sunny everyday. B and I have been spending lots of time up north and I am almost embarrassed to say, just like me he is sporting a pretty good tan for an 11 month old!

Here are a few pictures from our Muskoka adventures.

Until next time day dreamers!

D, B and I are up to the cottage for some much needed family dock time! I hope you all have a wonderful Canada Day and Happy (early) 4th of July to my American readers! We can all use this long weekend!

Now that the pregnancy news is out I thought I might post a bit about crossfit and pregnancy. For me the more info out there the better.

Crossfit has been a part of my daily routine for over a year now, so the moment I found out I was pregnant I started my research. There are plenty of fit mommas out there that have done crossfit throughout all 3 trimesters and I am determined to do the same!

Like everything while pregnant consult a doctor/midwife first. When talking to them I had mixed responses, my family doctor, did not advise against it, but told me that walking was a great exercise (not really the kind of advice I was looking for). A few weeks later once I found a midwife her advise (was actual advice) was much more positive and she let me know what to watch out for – mainly over stretching and lifting too heavy, both are because your ligaments are looser so you can injure yourself more easily. Other than this, she praised crossfit as a great way to stay active during pregnancy.

I am in month 5 (23 weeks) now and it wasn’t until month 4 or so (13-16 weeks) that I really felt myself slowing down and I had to start modifying movements. Everyone will be different, but here is what I have found so far and what has been recommended to me:

First Trimester

No need to modify any movements (unless something feels uncomfortable for you)

Sit ups and ab intensive movements are still allowed

Take lots of breaks and try not too push to hard (even though your ability will still be there)

Drink lots of water during your WOD and strength

I noticed that I would be winded faster

I still did all barbell & body movements – at about 75% of my usual weights

I stopped doing dead lifts & pull ups (both because I began to find them uncomfortable)

Listen to your body – if movements feel off or put strain of any kind on your abs, stop

Workouts have become much slower with lots of a breaks and lots of water

If you are thinking about continuing crossfit while pregnant, I highly recommend it. It has given me more energy and I believe it contributed to my lack of nausea. The main things are to consult a doctor/midwife, tell your coach right away and listen to your body!